Questor Insurance News

Brits make more trips to Europe than 10 years ago

Over 90% of Brits are travelling to Europe more often than they did 10 years ago, findings from an online survey by the European Consumer Centre Network (ECC-Net) have shown.

The survey – which was used to mark the ten year anniversary of consumer advice organisations within the ECC-Net – asked a series of ten questions about holidays and noted a large upswing in the number of regular European travellers.

Helping holidaymakers

As well as looking at overall holiday trends, the survey also asked for opinions and data on everything from the cost of making international calls via mobile to the rules surrounding what traders can charge for travel tickets.

It is hoped that the results will encourage more travellers to make use of the ECC-Net and the advice on offer from their specialist centres, of which there are 30 in the EU.

These centres are designed to help and advise consumers during disputes with traders in a European country outside of the UK – something which may become more common as passenger figures continue to increase.

Andy Allen, the UK ECC Director, said the findings of the survey highlight how UK consumers are travelling to Europe much more than they did ten years ago and echo the “experience [found] at the UK European Consumer Centre”.

He said that every year the ECC “helps thousands of consumers”; noting that 6,893 UK consumers approached the organisation with “cross-border problems” in 2013 alone – a 10% increase on 2012.

Encouraging travel

According to Allen, “greater public awareness of the service” has led to its growing popularity but the increased travel numbers setting their sights on Europe could also have an impact.

He explained that the ECC’s workload had increased over recent years but quoted the Office for National Statistics (ONS) International Passenger Survey which showed an 8.4% increase in holiday expenditure and 11.8% increase in visits to friends and family amongst Brits at the same time.

As the UK ECC aims to help as many British holidaymakers as possible by providing them with security when they travel abroad it is worth looking into the service before booking your next trip.

You should also make sure that you arrange European travel insurance in advance to protect against other problems or disruptions to your travel plans